Breaking News!!!! What is going on with Forest of Jewels?

Happy Wednesday!  I hope everyone's week has been going well so far and for those of you who got a visit from the Easter bunny, you are enjoying your treats!  I wanted to post today to do a little catch up on what I have been up to lately.  

First, The Jewelry Mojo Challenge is back this week and I am supposed to create a piece based on a song or poem that inspires me.  If you know me well, you know about my deep love of music.  I have been thinking about songs, now I just need to sit down and pick one!  I will be working on this challenge over the weekend, so check back to see what I come up with.

One of the other new things I have been involved with, is that I was accepted as a member of The Artisan Group.   They are a group of handmade artists (anything from jewelry, to body products and even the cutest doggie bow ties) who participate in celebrity gifting as well as working with stylists to get items worn by stars on TV shows.   They are very well received and have products on shows like Cedar Cove, The Vampire Diaries and Hart of Dixie.  They have also had gifting opportunities (think swag bags)  for the Emmy awards and Fashion week.   I am very excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to growing my business this way.   Everyone seems really nice too, which is always a bonus.

I belong to a bead swap group, BeadSwapUSA,  and have been lucky to participate in some great swaps.  This month's bead swap was based on the Design Seeds Palette below.

Design Seeds Adore Brights

My partner, Sondra,  sent me a wonderful collection of beads!  There is crackle glass, seed beads, small glass beads, metal connectors and these great tear drops perfect for a pair of earrings, just to name a few!  I am looking forward to working with these great beads.

Finally,  I want to remind everyone that this year's Bead Soup Blog Party has its big reveal on May 3rd.  There are 500 people participating this year and I am really looking forward to seeing all the wonderful designs.  After a bit of a creative block, I am now working full steam on my pieces for the hop.   I have three pieces on my work space right now, and I am hoping to have a forth finished in time for the reveal in 10 days.  Here are a few sneak peek shots of the beads on my work space.  Make sure to check back May 3, 2014 for the big reveal!!